Inhibition of Candida albicans virulence by moscatin from Dendrobium nobile lindl

Candida albicans infection poses a significant global health threat. It is imperative to exploit new antifungal agents against C. albicans infections without leading to drug resistance, so that these potential agents can complement or combine with current medications to effectively treat diseases caused by C. albicans. We screened moscatin, and assessed the inhibitory effectiveness against C. albicans SC5314 on hyphae production and biofilm formation. It was revealed that moscatin exhibited significant effects on morphological transition and biofilm formation in C. albicans SC5314. It also lowered the pathogenicity of C. albicans SC5314 in a concentration-dependent way in both A549 cells and mice fungal infection models, but had no cytotoxicity to A549 cells. In addition, moscatin attenuated the virulence of clinical fluconazole-resistant C. albicans and exhibited synergistic activity with fluconazole. It could also restore the composition and richness of the intestinal microbiota in mice infected by C. albicans. These findings indicate that these moscatin has great potential to be developed as a new therapeutic drug against C. albicans infection. •Moscatin is a promising agent for the treatment of C. albicans infection.•Moscatin interferes with the cAMP-PKA and MAPK pathways in C. albicans.•Moscatin exhibited excellent activity against C. albicans SC5314 infection in vitro and in vivo.•Moscatin can enhance the effectiveness of antibiotics.•Moscatin can significantly improve the intestinal microflora in mice infection model.